For The First Time
by Epona's Chosen
Summary: Rede has some time off out of the barracks. While he's out, he shares his first encounter with the female gender... but it doesn't quite go to plan.


**HELLO! Well, here you go! A Rede fic for you all! Rede isn't on the character list... Sucks. I've asked but no reply yet. Anyways, here you go!**

**Thanks to my awesome beta reader TheLightIsMine (hug). If you aren't reading her fic Reasons to Live For, you certaintly should be! x3 x3 x3**

**Please enjoy!**

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><p>"Well, Rede, I think you should have some time off. Go out and have a bit of fun," Roly said. Rede was sitting in his office, messing around with his bucket but paying close attention.<p>

"Are you sure?" Rede asked, almost nervously. He'd never really spent his free time out of the Arca Barracks.

"Of course, go on now," Roly said, and shooed Rede out his office.

Rede wandered back to find the rest of his squad. Roly said he had to go out, but he had no idea where to go. He thought to ask Niner; he'd been here long enough surely to know a couple of places.

He approached Niner, who was talking to Darman in a hushed voice. Rede noticed that happened a lot. He understood that Darman and Niner had been in a squad together for a long time and had a close bond – they never really called Rede _vod_ or shared the knowing looks with him so he felt like he was in the dark about a lot of things. He wished he could be that close with them. They treated him like a kid, an annoyance, like he didn't know anything. He wasn't a…what was the word they used? _Di'kut_. Yes, that was it.

Rede walked up to them and their conversation immediately halted. They looked at him in an impatient manner.

"Roly gave me some time off – out of the Barracks," Rede said, and Darman just raised an eyebrow.

"How nice," Darman commented in a bored tone. "Is that all?"

"Dar," Niner said, warningly. Rede preferred Niner. He didn't think the Sarge particularly liked him, but he wasn't as open about it as Darman was.

"No… I was wondering if you knew anywhere good to go," Rede said, not looking at Darman.

Niner gave him a friendly smile. "Here," he said, tapping something in on his datapad and he showed it to Rede. It was a bar, not too far from the Barracks. "This is the CSF Staff and Social Club, I'm sure they won't mind you having a drink or two."

Rede nodded. "Thank you, Sarge," he said, memorising the route quickly, and turning and walking out of the room.

Just before the door slammed shut, he heard Darman hiss at Niner. "What were you thinking? That place isn't for Spaarti clones like him…"

Rede didn't hear if Niner had a reply. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, Niner was probably just taking pity on him.

Rede walked out the barracks; he still looked like a solider even without his armour on. He walked with precise strides, back straight and with the confidence of knowing how to use the hidden blaster he carried. He followed the memorised route quickly, not knowing entirely what to expect. He eyed the building warily. It hadn't occurred to him earlier, but this could be some elaborate joke they were playing on him. _No_, Rede chided himself, _I should trust my squad. We can't perform well if there's no trust_.

He stepped up to the door and opened it. There weren't many people inside, but enough that Rede's entry didn't cause a stir and he cautiously wandered up to the bar. The barman didn't comment on the fact he wasn't one of the CSF, maybe clones visited often.

"Can I have a Membrosia, please?" Rede asked, and the Barman nodded. Rede handed him a credit chip and he took the drink. Rede had never had alcohol before, but he knew the names of some of the drinks.

He retreated to a seat in the corner and took a sip. He almost spat it back out again, he wasn't expecting the taste but after swallowing it, he decided he quite liked it. He wet his lips, cleaning the excess liquid from around them, and smiled. This would have been more fun if he'd had some friends to share the experience with, but he felt freer than he ever had before. He then realised that this was what normal peoples' lives were like. Going out for a drink, talking with friends and laughing and joking like the others here. They probably had families too. That hit Rede hard. He had never thought about it before, how nice ordinary lives were. He had always felt as if being a solider was the only and the best thing in the world, but now he knew how much he'd been missing out on. He was only one year old. And he didn't have his entire life ahead of him. He was a prisoner, a _slave_ to the IA. But he didn't know how to be anything else. So his shortened life would have to do.

He sipped his drink again, blocking out all the thoughts of happy families and a world he could never have. Before he knew it, the drink had gone. He went up to the bar to buy another – it was nice stuff once one got used to it.

"Well, hello there," a voice said from next to him. He turned and saw a young female human leaning against the bar. She was very pretty – beautiful, in fact. Long, tumbling blonde hair, deep gray eyes set among delicate features and a perfectly curved figure, and to top it off, she was sending a dazzling smile at _him_. Not that Rede knew a lot about the opposite sex. He couldn't even be said to be an amateur, he was the most basic of novices when it came to women and romance.

"I… Um… Hi," Rede managed to stammer out. He thought back to a holodrama he'd once seen a part of. The man had bought the girl a drink. "Can… Can I buy you a drink?"

The girl smiled. "Yes, you may," she said and nodded to the bartender. "_Tihaar_," she ordered. The bartender gave her an odd look – Rede didn't know why – but went to the other end of the bar to get her drink.

"So, what's your name?" She asked Rede.

Rede looked at her and he almost said his number out loud, before mentally slapping himself. "Rede," he finally said a few seconds later. "Yours?"

"Akeyiro," she said with a smile. Rede almost melted into a puddle. That _smile_, was doing funny things to his head.

"Pretty name," he said and then blushed.

"Thank you, I quite like it myself," Akeyiro said.

"So… What brings you here?" Rede asked, pleased with his question. It seemed normal enough.

"My dad works for the CSF, he told me to wait here for him," she said, and took a step closer to him. Rede half stepped back, alarmed at her sudden advance, and a slightly hurt look crossed her eyes. He didn't move back any further. "He'll probably be a while," she added and Rede could sense a suggestion in her tone – just didn't know what it was.

"I have an evening off," Rede said, then kicked himself. She didn't ask and she probably didn't want to know.

"That's nice, I rarely see your type out by themselves – you usually hang around in little gangs." Akeyiro said.

"I'm… Not that close to any of them," Rede said, partly truthfully.

"Really? I thought you guys were like a family?" She said, curiously.

"Well, I was, but I was moved to a squad after they lost a brother, so I guess they don't like me as a replacement." Rede said with a shrug. Then shut himself up. He shouldn't be blurting this stuff out to random people – even if their father did work for the CSF. She was messing with his mind.

"That's sad, you seem like a really nice guy," Akeyiro said with a smile, and he grinned. He couldn't help it. It was contagious, her smile. Rede was smiling along with her.

"Thanks… You seem nice, too," Rede said, feeling as if he had to return the compliment.

The bartender returned with Akeyiro's drink and looked at Rede. "Oh… Another Membrosia please," he said and handed the bartender another credit chip. The bartender refilled his glass and went to serve another customer.

"So, Rede," Akeyiro said, his name rolling over her tongue in a way that had Rede caught and trapped by her voice alone. "Been on any dangerous missions recently?"

Rede paused. He didn't know what a non-clone would consider dangerous. "Well… I came back yesterday from a mission where I killed a Jedi…"

"You _killed_ a _Jedi_?" Akeyiro said, her interest suddenly perking up.

"Yeah… Well… The transparisteel wall helped…" Rede said. "I brought it down on top of him."

"Oh, wow," Akeyiro said. She took another step towards him. Rede suddenly felt more confident. She thought he was tough. Not a child like everyone else.

"It wasn't much. The wall was already straining, so I just shot the weak points and it came crashing down. That didn't kill him, though." Rede said his failed attempt to be modest shining through.

"So, how did you kill him?" She asked, leaning in to the conversation. Rede was pleased with himself; he had her captivated, just like she had him.

"The falling wall disorientated him, so I leapt on him and punched him hard in the face – clean broke his nose." Rede said, finding himself starting to brag a bit.

"You must be really strong," Akeyiro said and Rede smirked at the awe in her voice. Her hand rested on his forearm as she leaned closer to hear, her eyes wide with wonderment.

"Well, no more than any other clone," Rede said, trying to hide the chuffed tone in his voice.

"I bet you are," she said. "What happened next?"

"I stabbed him in the gut – I didn't want him to suddenly blast me away with his Force powers so I thought I'd keep him occupied." Rede said, leaning closer to her.

"Of course, you must be incredible to get that close to a Jedi," she said, a flirtatious smile on her face.

Rede grinned at her. "I suppose I might be a little bit," he said, and his hand subconsciously moved to rest on her waist.

"Did that kill him?" Akeyiro asked, her head practically on his shoulder.

"No, I shot him as well – twice, just to make sure," Rede said with a smug smirk.

"You did this all by yourself?" She said her face close to his.

"Yeah, the rest of my squad were there but I actually did all the killing part," Rede said.

"That's amazing," Akeyiro said, her fingers stroking his chest through his shirt. Rede leaned slightly closer into her touch. He liked it. "Are you your squad's leader then?"

Rede thought about boasting and saying he was, but changed his mind at the last second. He was a truthful man. "No, I'm too new to the squad really; there are only three of us instead of four, we're a bit dysfunctional."

"Well, I think they should make you the leader – you're better than them, surely." She said, leaning closer to him.

Then reality kicked in.

Rede suddenly realised how close they were. Her lips were slightly parted as her fingers splayed out on his chest, and his breath caught in his windpipe from her proximity. He'd never been this close to a girl, a _woman_, and now he couldn't think of anything to say. All he knew was fighting. He was swiftly aware that his hand was on her waist. _When had he done that?_ He blinked. He had no idea, and he couldn't think coherently either. A lump formed in his throat and he had the terrifying thought that he wouldn't be able to speak if she said something.

The silence had lasted a couple of minutes now. Or maybe it hadn't, Rede wasn't sure. He guessed he was meant to say something. He just didn't know what. His hand slipped awkwardly from her waist and he picked up his drink and took a big gulp. Akeyiro watched him curiously and she sipped her own drink.

"Are you alri-?" She couldn't get the entire word out because Rede panicked and crushed his lips almost painfully to hers. Rede realised he'd done something stupid a second later and he pulled back quickly, his face bright red in colour. He mumbled an apology before practically running out of the door.

He moved so fast he didn't see the angered look on Akeyiro's face. She slammed her glass down on the counter and stormed out of the club looking for Rede, preparing herself to slap him. Hard.

Rede was long gone; he'd run the entire memorised route back to the barracks. He felt scared. He should never talk to a female again. He hurried into the 'freshers and tried to calm himself down. He couldn't appear this flustered to Sarge and Darman. They'd laugh at him – as would Roly. Perhaps he was a _di'kut_, a child. He didn't want to be. He wanted to be like the Kaminoan clones. They were so much older, with so much more training.

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><p>He spent two hours in the 'fresher, staring into the mirror and calming himself down. He hadn't kissed her, he hadn't even met her – unfortunately, convincing himself of this was failing.<p>

Eventually, he knew he had to come out. He opened the door quietly and slipped out, trying to act calm and composed. He walked through the barracks and headed towards the accommodation block and his squad's quarters.

He walked in and found Darman and Niner exactly where he'd left them, still talking quietly. Niner looked up as he entered.

"Have a good time?" Niner asked.

Rede muttered something under his breath and went and sat on his bunk, then swung his legs up and lay down. Maybe he could pretend to be asleep and then they'd continue their conversation. He couldn't imagine they'd be that stupid though.

Niner and Darman exchanged a look, wondering what had happened to him. "Rede…?" Niner asked cautiously. "Is everything alright?"

Rede shrugged and looked at them for a second. "I'm fine," he said before rolling over on his bunk and closing his eyes.

Darman rolled his eyes at Rede's back. It was harsh to say he didn't care, but he wasn't entirely sure he did. He didn't accept him as part of the squad.

Rede fell asleep without intending to. He meant to stay awake to listen to what occupied the rest of his squad's mind these days, but he fell into a restless sleep with crowds of females chasing him with deeces and blasters – intending to kill him.

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><p>Rede was the first awake the next morning. He could hear Darman snoring gently; he could even tell he was stretched out on his bed by the spread of weight on the mattress that was above him. Niner, on the other side of the room, slept like a solider – straight and silently. He didn't move or even seem to breathe in his sleep.<p>

Rede got up and dressed in plain clothes. Roly had given Squad-40 the day off. He figured he'd be alone again for the day. He went to the mess hall, hoping to get a snack before going to explore Coruscant a little.

Rede got himself a plate of food before sitting down on his squad's table and beginning to eat. He was halfway through his breakfast when Darman and Niner dropped into the seats opposite him.

"Hey," Rede said and sipped his water.

"Morning, Rede," Niner said.

Darman just grunted his hello.

"Where are you going today?" Rede asked, trying to make conversation.

"Just out for a walk," Niner said in a non-committal tone.

Rede nodded. "Same here, I haven't seen a lot of Corrie."

"Do you want to come with us?" Darman asked and both Rede and Niner looked at him surprised.

"I… Err… Sure, okay," Rede said after a few seconds.

Niner glowered at Darman. He hadn't asked him because he'd wanted him to – it was scupper Niner's plans to make Dar see sense about deserting. Rede saw the look and Niner immediately smoothed his face over. He'd talk to Darman later.

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><p>All three of them walked down the street. Somehow, Rede had ended up in the middle – <em>maybe Darman and Niner had argued?<em> He thought to himself. When Niner thought he wasn't watching, he sent the occasional glare in Darman's direction.

The silence was awkward. None of them were speaking and Rede felt a lot like an intruder. He wondered if he should tell Roly that he wasn't fitting in with his squad, but he felt like a snitch, he didn't want to get Niner and Darman into trouble – they'd hate him even more then.

"Have you guys been around Coruscant a lot?" Rede asked, and the silence continued for twenty-four seconds – he counted.

"We had a mission here once, but we don't know the whole place that well." Niner finally said, once it became clear that Darman wasn't going to speak.

"Oh, I've never really been out of the barracks." Rede said, "Not that I've had the chance." He added under his breath.

Darman looked at him sideways. "What happened last night?"

Rede glanced over at him. "Nothing," he said. "I had a drink and came back; it wasn't very exciting – kinda lonely actually."

"I think Roly intended you to meet a girl," Niner input.

"Not my main skill set," he told him. "There weren't many there, anyway."

Niner actually cracked a smile. "It isn't mine either, _ner vod_."

Rede grinned. He suddenly felt like part of the squad – although he knew it wouldn't last. "It wasn't part of my training; don't think dating was on Palpatine's agenda."

"It definitely wasn't on the Jedi's," Darman muttered. If it had been – he and Etain could have had much more time together, in the open.

Niner gave Darman a warning look and just like that, Rede knew he was missing something. "We're soldiers, not the general public."

Rede nodded. "I'll be dead before I can think about having a family." He said, unable to hide all the mournfulness in his voice.

Niner regarded him carefully. "If you could have a full life, a free one, would you?"

Rede met Niner's eyes. "What the point? I can't do anything but fight, anyway."

Darman raised an eyebrow at Niner from behind Rede. He hadn't expected that – he'd expected a firm _no_, not anxiety that he'd be bad at it.

"I think you'd be great at it – you'd just need time," Niner assured him.

"Time isn't something I have to spare," Rede said, casting his eyes over the free, happy people of Coruscant.

Then he saw her – Akeyiro. Niner was talking but he wasn't hearing any of it, all he could see was her. He prayed she wouldn't notice him.

Too late.

She was striding over; a determined – and angered – look on her face. _Great_, Rede thought, _now I really am going to look like a _di'kut.

Rede was shocked when she went straight past him and up to Niner and slapped him around the face, the crack ricocheting around them like a gunshot.

"How _dare_ you!" She yelled at a rather stunned Niner. "You had _no_ right, you _chakaar_, no right to kriffing _kiss_ me!"

Niner held his hands up in surrender, a blank look that almost echoed fear. "Excuse me, ma'am..." He tried to start but she cut him off.

"No. I don't want excuses." She snapped, glaring haughtily. "Wait until my father hears, you'll be _dead_."

"Ma'am, please," Niner kept trying to butt in but she shoved him – with surprising strength – and he took a step back to steady himself.

"Listen to me," she said, her face leaning close to his. "_You_ are an _aruetyc_ ass." She snarled and with that, she pushed between Rede and Niner and stalked off, fuming.

"Niner... Mind explaining?" Darman asked, watching his brother warily. Rede forced a shocked expression onto his face, like he had no idea why she was angry.

"_Fierfek._ Who the hell was she?" Niner asked, shaking his head. "She knew _Mando'a_ as well, not many people here do."

Darman chuckled. "Well, she was certainly mad at you."

Rede figured out why she'd gone for Niner over Darman – and himself, of course. She'd expect the leader of a squad to be in the middle, where he'd been walking. Darman acted very differently to him, less solider-like. Niner was more like Rede in the way that he walked and acted, very military, and they were the only three-man squad for miles. Niner had been in Rede's place.

The problem was, he didn't know whether he was glad to have avoided her harsh backlash, or unhappy that Niner hadn't. Niner had just started being nicer to him and now he was paying for his mistakes.

"I've never seen her before in my life," Niner said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Have either of you?"

Rede, being the man he was, felt bad lying.

"Well, Sarge. It's, um, a funny story..."

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><p><strong>So let me know whatcha think! Please? I really want to know! Reviews make me happy :D It's weird, I have no AN inspiration, I can't think of anything to say! O.o**

**~ Rhiannon  
><strong>**xxx**


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